Virgin Trains has announced that it has scrapped Friday afternoon peak restrictions from London Euston.
This allows thousands of more people to start the weekend earlier, for less money.
The restrictions will be removed from 2 November 2018. This follows a 13 week trial that has also helped dramatically reduce congestion on key evening services.
While the trial was taking place, the popular 19:00 London Euston to Manchester service saw the average maximum number of passengers fall by 61%.
This would normally have been the first train service available for passengers with off peak tickets. Similar benefits were seen in the West Midlands where the average maximum number of passengers on the 19:03 London Euston to Birmingham New Street fell by 75%.
The table below shows how the removal of the restrictions has helped to remove congestion on trains.
Savings by destination:
| Birmingham £60.50 | Chester £94.55 | Coventry £53.50 |
| Glasgow £111.25 | Liverpool £115.55 | Manchester £125.55 |
| Preston £129.95 | Stafford £75.20 | Stoke-on-Trent £105.20 |
What did the officials say?
Sarah Copley, Commercial Director at Virgin Trains said:
“Rather than everyone waiting for the first off-peak train on Friday evening, people can now travel whenever's convenient for them. This change means we've been able to reduce congestion, whilst helping people save money and make an earlier start to their weekends.”
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